Chapter 4 Untitled Chapter
CLAIRE
Back in the darkness of my cell, I paced around, my thoughts occupied with what had happened at the lab. Nothing makes sense, the vision of the white wolf, to someone named Alpha Jet coming to rescue me—who I suspect is the mysterious guard.
Should I tell Dr.Gia…? I disregarded the thought as soon as it occurred to me. Who do I trust? Dr.Gia and the new lady…what’s her name again? Heather.
They do not seem trust worthy, the way she had called me by the same name the guard referred to me as before jamming some liquid stuff into my vein, ignoring Dr.Gia’s warning. All these people don’t seem like good people to me, clenching my head in pain, I slumped to the ground.
Since the conversations I heard from Dr.Gianna and her guest made no sense to me, I decided when next we were permitted to eat, I was going to find a way to speak to the guards. Perhaps if I also learn what he knows, everything will finally make sense.
Relieved filled my tired body when my thoughts finally came to a conclusion. Any mental or physical problem is always tiresome, as if my body couldn’t keep up with my brain nor my mind.
The light suddenly came on, startling me into an upright position. Stepping closer to the bars and making sure not to come in close contact with it, I tried peaking into the next cell to see if his light was on as well.
However, since that was as far as I could see without coming in contact with the silver bars of my cell, I shrunk back, waiting for the door to automatically unlock. It took only a few seconds and once it opened, I stepped outside.
“Subject Twenty nine.” Dr.Gia’s voice on the speaker inside my cell. “You’re given a few minutes of lunch hour as a bonus for being a very willing subject. Your timer is on…”
Bonus points! Happiness spread through my body as I carried myself down the hallway to the dining hall. I knew others would be green with envy as bonus points were rarely given out. Yet for a split second, I couldn’t help but wonder why I was given one.
Dr.Gia was kind, she told me as long as I behaved and remained cooperative, she would make my life easier and she is acting well on her promise. I felt guilty for not letting her know about the mysterious guard, what if he is someone that wants to hurt her? I will never forgive myself for it.
The hall was empty of subjects but they were little to no guards, patrolling the place. The lunch lady was there as usual, waiting to serve me my lunch.
I approached her with my plates, grateful for the fact that there wasn’t any long queue today. It was selfish of me to wish it would always be like this everyday but I didn’t care. I will do anything and everything to make sure these privileges are not taken from me.
It was time for me to find a seat, I searched through the guards, trying to pinpoint the mysterious one. When I could not find him among the guards, I chose a random seat, disappointment weighing me down.
“Looking for me?”
I looked up sharply at the sound of his voice, even though he was wearing a mask that covers his mouth and make his voice sound like the rest
of the guards, I immediately knew it was him even without checking his eyes.
“No. Sit and carry on eating, pretend I’m not here.”
Adjusting myself back on my seat, I took the first bite out of my meal, cringing at how bland it tasted. The meals served were not extraordinary but it isn’t usually this worse. Since I’m not one to complain, I look past the blandness and instead focus on filling my belly.
“After what you said to me…” I scratch my head, trying to recall when we last spoke.
“Two days ago.” He offered.
“Two days ago?” The shock was evident in my voice. “I did not know it was that long, the last thing I remember was being in the lab.”
“What lab?” He questioned.
“Dr.Gianna’s lab, she was running some tests on me as she usually does.” I pause, weighing the choice of things I wanted to tell him.
“Go on..” he urged.
“I was having these odd dreams…perhaps I was in a trance or something but it was all gone when I felt a sharp pain in my arm. Her guest had injected me with some things, I guess it’s why I got bonus points.” I smiled, a part of me wishing I could see who I was talking to.
It was probably for the best because to everyone walking by or looking on, it seemed like I was just talking to myself. Something most people tend to do a lot around here.
“Do you feel alright now? Are you still hurt…” his voice faltered for whatever reason.
“Oh.” I let out a happy sigh. “I have never felt better really, I mean…I get bonus points.”
Suddenly the alarm went off, indicating that my time was over. I didn’t finish my lunch however but I was looking forward to dinner and talking again with the guard. It’s refreshing to finally have someone other than myself to talk to.
I didn’t bother taking the plate back, as I made my way back to my cell, I stopped. Looking over my shoulder, he was gone with no trace that he was ever there.
Like him, I went back to my cell pretending this afternoon never happened even though my full stomach was a reminder that it indeed happened. For the first time in a long time, I could not remember looking forward to dinner for any other reason than feeding my starved body.
Unfortunately the light in my cell didn’t come on when it was time for dinner, meaning Dr.Gianna didn’t permit me to leave my cell. I soon discovered why when two guards came to take me to her lab, the mysterious guard wasn’t among them.
“There’s my favourite subject, take your seat.” She gestures towards the bed.
Gulping nervously, I sat down on the bed watching her approach me with a needle. The second the liquid was injected into my body, I felt numbed.
She stared at me then grabbed my shoulder. “What the fuck is wrong with you!” She screamed in my face. “You’re going to make me lose my job! Why are you blocking your memories?”
Having no idea what she was talking about but terrified out of my mind because she’s usually calm and collected.
I licked my lips, having no idea what to say. It looked like she doesn’t require me to say anything because she frantically started going through her medical supplies. They are small size bottled medication amounting to twelve.
She put them all out and started to transfer them into an injection. I watch her silently with my heart racing wildly in my chest. Once she had successfully transferred everything into the injections, she dropped them on a tray.
“Now, let’s see if you’re going to keep those memories away from me.” She hissed.
Shoving me down on the bed, the silver bar retrain immediately clicked around my legs, wrist and one in the middle, holding me down the bed to make sure I wouldn’t escape with my thrashing.
Even though I have been here in more times that I could count, there was something different this time, something that scares me. Ignoring me like she always does whenever she runs these tests, she injected the first injection into my blood stream.
Nothing happens for a few seconds until she goes to pick the next one. My muscles tightened, my body consolved repeatedly, my eyes rolling to the back of my head. As she released the second injection into my blood stream, I screamed, fighting to get away from her.
“Let’s see how much of these you can handle before you snap. I want you to shift Claire, this will only stop when you do.” She yelled so I could hear her though the pain coursing through my body.
Tears flooded down my face, she didn’t stop and I lost count of the amount of injections she put into my body. Somewhere in the midst, I lost my voice, I couldn’t scream. I wept, wanting it to be over.
I have been good so far, I haven’t done anything wrong, why would she treat me this way…?